Impact Mariners free agency alternatives for $23.15M earmarked for Randy Arozarena

The Seattle Mariners almost certainly aren't going to retain Randy Arozarena as a free agent, but they're reportedly willing to at least extend him a one-year offer worth $23.15 million for 2027.

This is according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who lists Arozarena as one of the expected recipients of the qualifying offer. Its worth is equivalent to the average of the 125 highest-paid players in MLB, and that comes out to $23.15 million this year.

Arozarena is, of course, going to reject the offer and try his luck in free agency after a career-best season in 2026. Indications are that he wants to head east and that his contract will land in the $100-125 million range, neither of which bode well for the Mariners. They'll have to take their eventual draft pick and do what they can to account for Arozarena's lost value.

To this end, the qualifying offer situation indicates that there's some willingness in the front office to add as much as $23.15 million to next year's payroll. That should be on the low end of what the team is capable of spending, as the numbers suggest they could add as much as $40 million.

3 possibilities for Mariners if they replace Randy Arozarena with a big-name free agent

Seiya Suzuki, RF

Suzuki is also likely to reject a qualifying offer, and thus be attached to draft pick compensation. That may not be a deal-breaker for the Mariners. Though they'd have to give up their third-highest selection in the 2027 draft if they signed a player who rejected a QO, Arozarena signing elsewhere will net them a pick after the first round. Fair trade.

Even so, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times writes that the Mariners shouldn't be expected to make any kind of splash on a free-agent hitter. It's not their style, in part because they know they have to pay a premium to convince hitters to try their luck at T-Mobile Park.

Even with that said, initial contract projections (shoutout to Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter) for Suzuki fall in the three-year, $66 million range. Even if the Mariners had to stretch to four years, $80 million, it would arguably still be worth it. Either way, we're talking less than $23.15 million per year.

The 32-year-old Suzuki has been good for a 131 OPS+ and 25 home runs from the right side of the plate over the last four seasons. He also flipped his usual defensive script by becoming a Gold Glove finalist in right field this season. If he's in right, the Mariners could hold a competition between Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo for the left field spot in spring training. Or, simply trade one of them.

Ian Happ, LF

If not Suzuki, then how about the guy who has played on the other side of Pete Crow-Armstrong in Chicago over the past few years?

Happ is also a Gold Glove finalist this year, and a win would make it five straight for the 32-year-old in that particular awards department. To this end, at least, he'd be an upgrade over Arozarena for the Mariners. And even if Happ is a lefty hitter who strikes out a lot, you can generally pencil him in for 20-25 home runs per year.

Spotrac has Happ's market value in the two-year, $40 million range. Even if the Mariners had to add another year onto an offer with a similar average annual value, he would still come cheaper than Suzuki and much cheaper than Arozarena.

Adrian Morejon, LHP

In case you missed it, we never promised a list of Arozarena replacements. This is about how to account for his lost value. Given how few free-agent hitters are realistic possibilities for the Mariners, going all-in on pitching may well be their best strategy.

This winter's free-agent class is arguably strongest when it comes to relievers, and Morejon gets our vote as the best over David Bednar and Raisel Iglesias. He's a lefty who can hit 102 mph, and he's really mastered the art of throwing strikes over the last two years. The results over 151 appearances: 2.48 ERA and 3.9 K/BB ratio over 159.2 innings.

Morejon, 27, is another player who's likely to reject a qualifying offer, and he could be eyeing Tanner Scott's four-year, $72 million deal as a template for his next contract. That's still less than $23.15 million per year, though. And if the Mariners could line him up with a healthy Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz, a bullpen that had a brutal year in 2026 would look much better going forward.

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